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Continental IceContact 2 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental IceContact 2 vs Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 2 + 9 road tests and 2 + 61 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: IceContact 2 70, WinGuard Sport 2 71.

Check price on Amazon · IceContact 2 Check price on Amazon · WinGuard Sport 2
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Continental IceContact 2
Tire AContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

± 6

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 68 · 2 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Tire BNexen

WinGuard Sport 2

Winter

± 5

Tests 73 · 9 tests Owners 71 · 61 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 6 tests7171
    Reviews found online6669

    IceContact 2: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 65.8 = 69

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 69.4 = 70

  2. 71

    Wet

    WinGuard Sport 2 +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 9 tests7073
    Reviews found online7277

    IceContact 2: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 71.6 = 71

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 73.5 + 40% × 77.3 = 75

  3. 76

    Snow

    IceContact 2 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 9 tests7870
    Reviews found online7370

    IceContact 2: 60% × 77.9 + 40% × 72.7 = 76

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 69.6 = 70

  4. 64

    Comfort

    WinGuard Sport 2 +4
    68
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 67 (est.)64
    Reviews found online6270

    IceContact 2: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 61.9 = 64

    WinGuard Sport 2: 40% × 64.4 + 60% × 70.4 = 68

    No road tests of comfort for IceContact 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    80
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–93
    Reviews found online–61

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 93.3 + 40% × 61.1 = 80

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    WinGuard Sport 2 +8
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 66 (est.)75
    Reviews found online6571

    IceContact 2: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 65

    WinGuard Sport 2: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 71.3 = 73

    No road tests of treadwear for IceContact 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Reviews found online6970
  8. 63

    Efficiency

    IceContact 2 +29
    34
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 6 tests6334
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Relative Score 70 71
Dry 69 70
Wet 71 75
Snow 76 70
Comfort 64 68
Noise – 80
Treadwear 65 73
Handling (owners) 69 70
Efficiency 63 34

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

IceContact 2

± 5

WinGuard Sport 2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryIceContact 2WinGuard Sport 2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #5/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 90% #4/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #5/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #7/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 96% #7/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 92% #8/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 78% #8/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 #10/10 2025 Autobild Winter Tire Test R18 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A IceContact 2

Pros

  • Excellent traction on snow and ice-covered surfaces
  • Surprisingly comfortable and quiet ride for a studded tire
  • Reliable handling and stability in severe winter conditions

Cons

  • Increased road noise when driving on dry or clean pavement
  • Noticeable degradation in ice grip performance after two seasons of use
  • Requires precise tire pressure maintenance to ensure optimal wet-weather handling
All owner themes in the IceContact 2 review

Tire B WinGuard Sport 2

Pros

  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Low noise levels and high comfort, often rivaling all-season or summer tires
  • Strong grip and stability on cold dry and wet pavement

Cons

  • Subpar performance on hard-packed ice and deep snow compared to dedicated heavy-duty winter tires
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to slightly vague handling or a 'rolly' feeling in hard cornering
  • Reports of higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor drop in fuel economy
All owner themes in the WinGuard Sport 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 2 B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—80
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
Tread depth—11/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

Too close to call: Continental IceContact 2 and Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 are within 2 points overall. Continental IceContact 2 is stronger on efficiency and snow. Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 is stronger on treadwear, wet and comfort.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental IceContact 2 scores 63 vs 34 on efficiency.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 73 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental IceContact 2 scores 76 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 75 vs 71 on wet.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
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IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Which is better in the wet, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2, 75 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Continental IceContact 2, 76 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2, 68 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2, 73 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, IceContact 2 or WinGuard Sport 2?

Continental IceContact 2, 63 vs 34 on our efficiency score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology